Neighborhood

If you haven't been to Oakland recently, then you don't know Oakland! Rated the #5 place to visit in 2012 by the New York Times, Oakland's food and art renaissance has been nothing short of amazing. Incorporated in 1852, Oakland grew quickly because of fertile soil for agriculture and its location. The city was selected as a terminus for the Transcontinental Railroad and was at the receiving end of the first cross-country airmail flight thanks to Captain Eddie Rickenbacker of WWI fame. Today Oakland is the busiest port in Northern California and a major trade center for the West.

The city was a hotbed for unrest in the 1960s and 1970s, as the home to the Black Panther Party and Hell's Angels, as well as skyrocketing violence. However, leaders like Mayor Jerry Brown helped Oakland to reverse its fortunes and become the city it is today. With championship sports teams, tourist attractions like Jack London Square, numerous open spaces, worldclass healthcare and education, and the highest concentration of artists in the country, Oakland is truly a cosmopolitan city...an amazing place to live and work!